El Cajon license scam attracted out-of-towners

FBI reveals more details of license bribery

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released more details of the El Cajon Department of Motor Vehicles driver's license scam. Thirty defendants have been charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, and the investgation is still open.

According to the FBI, Kuvan Piomari, who ran the U.S. Driving School in El Cajon, told his clients they could get a license by paying a bribe. The school catered mostly to Middle Eastern immigrants. Jeffrey Bednark, a DMV examiner, and three other DMV employees were key in the long-running conspiracy.

Word spread north to Los Angeles and beyond. One person even flew in from Dallas, took a cab to El Cajon, paid for his license with a bribe, and flew back to Dallas a few hours later. It cost $500 to $2500 to get a license — the higher the fee, the larger the vehicle that could be driven. This introduced safety concerns.

A new manager arrived at the El Cajon DMV, immediately realized that something wasn't right, and contacted the DMV's investigative arm, which brought in the FBI.